Sheet feeding devices



March 7, 1961 D. J. OLDENBOOM SHEET FEEDING DEVICES Original Filed July 22, 1953 INVENTOR I OLDENBOOM BY W Z j ATTORNEY DERK J nite Sttes SHEET FEEDING DEVICES Derk J; Oldenhoom, Johnson City, N.Y., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Original application July 22, 1953, Ser. No. 369,700,

n'ow Patent No..2,813,715, dated Nov.'19, 1957.. Divided and this application, May 14, 1957, Sen No. 659,037

4 Claims. (Cl-r 101-287) application is a division of Patent 2,813,715, filed atent for various thicknesses of documents, or for desired de- July 22', 1953', and issued November l9, 1957, for Sheet Feeding Devices;

This invention relates" generally torecord feeding devices and particularly to sheet and envelope feeding devices for taking such materials singly out of a magazine and bringing them to printing position and away therefrom at high speed.

- One of the main objects of the invention is to provide means for feeding and positioning various sizes and thicknesses of sheets, cards, documents and envelopes by common means. ping and advancing devices for grasping sheets of varying widths and lengths. The variations in size of documents may spread over quite a range of sizes, and there is also the question of thickness which may be varied from a thin sheet up to a heavy card or envelope with two or more layers having the combined thickness of about .050".

Another object of the invention is the provision of common adjusting means for varying the tension of the feeding chains and also adjusting for variable sheet thicknesses by shifting the platen with respect to the type or impression means of a wire printer. These adjustment means are so arranged that the chain tension may be varied or made settable in conjunction with providing for the differences in sheet thickness.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawing, which discloses, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation view of the feeding devices showing one of the pair of feeding conveyor chains as it cooperates with the platen and the common adjusting controls for shifting the platen and tensioning the feed chain at the same time.

A short explanation may be given to point out the main parts of the sheet feeding device by reference to Fig. 1 wherein it is noted that a drive motor M has belt feed connections to many portions. The sheets, envelopes or documents are put in a magazine from which they are picked out one at a time by vacuum arms which swing the leading sheet edge between feed rollers and into guide strips which lead it-toward the pair of feed chains C of the device.

The endless conveyor chains C travel over a pistolshaped path wherein at E a pair of the regularly spaced clips CS thereon grasp the leading edge of an incoming sheet and carry it to the right and under shaft S and then up to the print receiving position at platen P. The clips CS are spaced regularly at 4 inch intervals along the chains. Revolving in synchronism with movement of the sheet past the platen P is the periphery of a tape feed drum which carries a feed control tape with spaced feed control indicia for determining the position of printing The devices include adjustable sheet gripgrees of impression of printer impact. An adjusting knob 410, Fig. 1, is fastened to a threaded shaft 411. The

threaded portion of shaft 411 engages. a threaded stud 412 fastened in a block 413 which supports sprocket 13. Block 413 is slidably mountedinslot 414 in chain frame 77. Shaft 411 is guided by bracket 415 which is adjacent to another bracket 416 for carrying a threaded shaft 417. Bracket 416 is fastened to chain frame 77. Also fastened to threaded shaft 411 is a gear 418. Gear 418 meshes with gear 419 fastened to the threaded shaft 417, journalled in bracket 416 and fastened to chain frame 77.

' The threaded portion of shaft 417 engages a threaded block 420 which supports sprocket 85. Threaded block 420 is, slidably' mounted in a slot 421 in chain frame 77.

Rotation of knob 410'will cause block 420 to move the platen P toward the type and will move block 418 downward, maintaining the same chain tension. If bracket clamp 415 is released from shaft 411, and clamp 416 is held with its shaft in position, rotation of knob 410 will cause block 413 to move. Movement of block 413 increases or decreases the chain tension, depending upon the direction in which block 413 is moved.

A pointer (not shown) is biased around a pivot point by a spring so that an operating point contacts the adjusted threaded block 420. The pointer indicates the selected document thickness on a scale fastened to the frame 77. Since there are two chain conveyors C and two frames 77, there are two indicators and two adjusting knobs 410 and mechanisms for shifting the platen P and adjusting the tension or slack in the chains.

Although type bar T (Fig. 1) is shown as part of a cooperating printing mechanism, it is obvious that other forms of wheel printers or wire printers may be coordinated with the present feed devices which are suited to be wheeled into place and hooked onto a printer with the platen properly situated. I I

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sheet feeding device, a platen, a printing means,

endless conveyors for bringing the sheets successively to the platen, said platen being positioned within the confines of said conveyors which are trained therearound, means for shiftably mounting said platen within said conveyors, means for adjusting the tension in the conveyors, means for shifting the platen relative to the printing means to accommodate different sheet thicknesses, means for interconnecting said conveyor tension means with said platen shifting means, and a common operating device for the adjusting and shifting means.

2. In a material handling device, an impression receiving means, endless conveyors for bringing the material to said receiving means, said impression receiving means being positioned within the confines of said conveyors which are trained therearound, means for shiftably mounting said impression receiving means within said conveyors, means for shifting said impression receiving means to vary the depth of impression, means for adjusting said conveyors to conform with the location of the Patented Mar. 7, 1961 shifted impression receiving means, means for interconnecting said conveyor adjusting means with said 1mpression means shifting means, and common manipula-- tive means for operating said shifting and adjusting means.

3. In a sheet feeding device, a cylindrical platen, a printing means, a plurality of sprockets on said platen, a plurality of chain conveyors drawn around said sprockets to carry a sheet between the platen and the printing means, means for shifting the platen relative to the printing means, other sprockets for said chain conveyors, means for shifting said other sprockets to provide more or less slack in said chain conveyors to accommodate the shifting of the platen, there being one platen shifting means and one sprocket shifting means at each end of the platen, and a pair of common operating means, each operating means serving for varying the adjustment of both the platen shifting means and the sprocket shifting means at one end of the platen, there being one common operating means at each end of the platen.

4. In a sheet feeding device, a cylindrical platen, a printing means, a plurality of sprockets on said platen, a plurality of chain conveyors drawn around said sprockets to carry a sheet between the platen and the printing means, means forshifting the platen relative to the printing means, other sprockets for said chain conveyors, means for shifting said other sprockets to provide more or less slack in said chain conveyors to accommodate the shifting of the platen, an operating shaft extending between both shifting means, and manipulative means on said shaft for adjusting it and the two shifting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 317,518 Cross May 12, 1885 353,762 Roth Dec. 7, 1886 880,034 McNair Feb.'25, 1908 1,123,561 Lorenz Jan. 5, 1915 1,320,358 Bacon Oct. 28, 1919 1,447,334 Bacon Mar. 6, 1923 1,621,678 Morse Mar. 22, 1927 1,758,536 Post May 13, 1930 2,529,513 Pechy Nov. 14, 1950 2,583,636 Dobson Jan. 29, 1952 2,819,782 Metzner Jan. 14, 1958 

